#doctor dee

[baelorthebeloved]

Bertie Carvel playing John Dee in the opera by Damon Albarn called Doctor Dee (2011).

John Dee, a non-singing part, was played by Bertie Carvel. Dee's wife, Katherine, was played by Anna Dennis. Francis Walsingham was played by Steven Page. Edward Kelley was played by Christopher Robson, whose singing was described as "sublime" by Albarn. (Wikipedia)

Damon Albarn is the creative mind behind the Gorillaz and the lead singer of the UK band, Blur.

Photograph: Jonny Donovan

[constantineinhell]

[scruggzi]

And another thing about Sandman...

The diner scene omfg!

The original diner scene was one I read in the context of Regan era America. A brittle, squeaky clean pseudo-1950s version of 'family values' papered over a grotesque ideology that claimed greed was good and actively facilitated untold crimes against queer people, people of colour and the poor.

The association of the classic 50s Americana of the small town diner made it the perfect location to rip that facade off and show the ugliness and violence of that era and the hollow lie of kitschy patriotism that was the common stance in most mainstream media at the time.

It wouldn't work now.

American fascism has moved on. It's it in the open, guns blazing and grabbing politics by the uterus. Exposing that lie is no longer an especially hot take. It's pretty obvious for anyone not currently sporting a MAGA hat.

It's interesting therefore that TV version is a bit more understated than in the comics. The people in the diner have far less extreme flaws - no tales of small town necrophilia this time - and as with the build up, it's definitely less violent.

This makes a lot of sense given the change in Dee's motivation. He has lived his life immersed in lies and can no longer tell the difference between destructive dishonesty and the dreams we have about ourselves. The ones where we are good people. The ones which make us hold back the truths we know would hurt those around us and let us say 'I could kill him for that' without actually doing it.

He might no longer look like a Fallout ghoul, but Dee has been as corrupted by Dream's ruby as Rachel was by the sand. The greater degree of subtly with that corruption also makes him a more interesting character to me than his cackling comic book alter ego. Especially the idea that he genuinely believes he's making the world a better place.

If the comic Dee was a mechanism for ripping the façade off of Regan's America to show the corruption underneath, the TV version is a fundamentalist. Convinced that he is freeing humanity from a world of lies and thus his actions are justified no matter the consequences.

I found this a great way to update the character in an era where the dark side of American politics is no longer hidden under a veneer of respectability, but is out, proud and storming the capital.

[london-ghosts]

The mysterious death of Christopher Marlowe

The death of Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe remains a mystery - was he murdered or was his death faked? Tony McMahon investigates

Christopher Marlowe was the Quentin Tarantino of Elizabethan theatre. His plays were laced with ultra-violence and audiences often left shaken by what they’d witnessed on stage. And maybe it’s not surprising that this shocking playwright came to a grisly end. On 30 May 1593, Marlowe was murdered at a house in Deptford, south London. But are accounts of his death a tissue of lies circulated by…

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[yoshida-midoriko]

[the-daily-dee]

Dee Doctor Is In

[chrissiezullo]

I saw the Japanese version of “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” last night and really enjoyed it. Just wanted to draw some of the characters! Have you guys seen it?

[applekitty]